#And Naru's keeping her company in more than one sense

[louistonehill]

Mai's working hard

[ikeromantic]

Bonding

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfic, approx. 1800 words. This scene takes place well after the events of the Romantic Epilogue as part of my post-route headcanon storyline.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: In the Spotlight

Mitsuhide sat on the edge of a stuffed chair, a ‘sofa’, across from his little one’s father. Minoru, for his part, didn’t look any more comfortable with the company. Neither of them said anything. Mitsuhide found that his usual silver tongue had run out of witticisms when faced with the twin challenge of a world 500 years in the future and the need to impress the father of his beloved.

In the kitchen, the chatelaine and her mother Youko were making dinner. Their lively chatter was the only sound as the two men studied each other.

Finally, Minoru cleared his throat. “So. How did you two meet?”

“The answer to that would require additional explanation. Suffice it to say, I met her in the course of my work. Initially, she was a responsibility of mine. To train her so that she knew enough to stay ali- ah, safe.” Mitsuhide smiled. “She was quite a handful.”

Minoru frowned. “Safe? Safe from what? What kind of business are you in?” He leaned forward.

“Intelligence and information gathering.” He silently thanked Sarutobi for the modern words to describe being a spy and torturer.

“You work for a government?”

Mitsuhide nodded. “That is a good way to put it. Yes. For a government.”

His little mouse poked her head through the door. “Everything going ok, you two?”

Both men cleared their expressions and smiled over at her. “Yes,” they replied, almost in unison.

Her bright smile lit up the room. “I’m so glad. I wanted you two to get along. Anyway, dinner is almost ready!” She disappeared again and the smiles the two men wore faded like snow under a noon-day sun.

Minoru turned back to Mitsuhide. “How did my daughter get tangled up with some government agent? She designs clothes. She left for a job in fashion.” His voice is strained, half a year’s worth of worry and frustration pushing at the seams of his soul.

Mitsuhide nodded. “She is amazing at making clothing. That is a career she continues to pursue. But I met her the night she pulled my superior from a burning building. Had she not arrived when she did, he would have died.”

“My baby girl . . . pulled a man from a burning building?” Minoru’s eyebrows shot up, his expression one of incredulous disbelief.

“Yes, and after, he thought she should stay with our forces. For her protection and because he believed there was something special about her.” Mitsuhide’s thin smile reappeared. “He wasn’t wrong. She is very special. A wonder.”

Minoru coughed. “Well, yes, but . . . a burning building? She isn’t, that is, she wouldn’t just -”

Mitsuhide leaned forward. “You know her from her childhood. If she knew someone was going to burn to death and she had a chance to save them, would she leave them to die? Is it so unbelievable?”

He shook his head slowly. He knew his daughter was exactly the kind of girl to put herself at risk for another. “I should not be surprised. When she was five, she ran out into the street to stop traffic for a kitten. Almost got hit by a car. And it wasn’t until after the cat was safe that she even realized how close she came to dying.”

Both men chuckled.

“That sounds exactly like something my little mouse would do.”

Minoru scowled. “Your what?”

“A nickname,” Mitsuhide waved the comment off.

And then the call came for dinner. They all sat down around the table. A spread of familiar and strange foods that piqued Mitsuhide’s curiosity. He wondered which of these his beloved had made, and which her mother. To be safe, he thought, it would be wise to compliment every dish.

“So,” her mother began after everyone was served. “My daughter tells me you’re a warlord working for Oda Nobunaga?”

Mitsuhide choked in surprise, the bite of food sticking in his throat. He glanced at his little mouse for confirmation.

“It just sort of popped out while we were talking.”

With effort and a glass of water, Mitsuhide swallowed and cleared his throat. “I didn’t expect to bring this up until after dinner, but yes.”

Minoru scowled. “You’re telling me you work for a man 500 years dead?”

“I don’t know, he seemed pretty lively last time I saw him,” Mitsuhide quipped.

His little mouse grinned. “Papa, be nice! I told you, we will tell you everything.” She took a deep breath. “It started the day I arrived in Kyoto. I went sightseeing . . .”

Mitsuhide listened as attentively as her parents, this version of the tale filling in gaps and details he hadn’t known. Her timely rescue of Sasuke Sarutobi, her run-in with the forces from Kasugayama. It appeared his little one was better at keeping secrets that he’d credited.

Through the story, her mother made little sounds of agreement or surprise, but Minoru was deathly silent. His expression turned darker at every part until he couldn’t hold back anymore. “This sounds like some ridiculous cartoon! You can’t expect your mother and I to buy this. Tell the truth! What is he, some mafia? A gambler? What?”

Youko frowned at him from across the table. “Now you just hush and eat your food. If our little girl says this is what happened, I believe her. She has no reason to lie. She knows we support her no matter what. Don’t we, dear?”

Minoru’s brows lowered. “You can’t be serious. This, this man shows up with our daughter after months with no word! Not a letter! Not a post card! With this crazy story and we’re supposed to just -”

“Accept it. You know as well as I do that if our girl didn’t write or call, it’s because she couldn’t. When you think of it that way, it makes perfect sense.” Youko nodded to emphasize her point. “Besides, when have you ever known her to lie.”

“She’s terrible at that,” Mitsuhide added drily.

Minoru’s scowl deepened. “Don’t talk like you know her. Maybe you drugged her or something, and now she thinks all that is true.”

Mitsuhide sighed. He’d expected this kind of reaction after Sasuke and his little one explained what ‘meeting the parents’ entailed. He was beginning to wish he could have simply sent some gifts and a contract, or better yet, left that to Nobunaga and simply married the girl. “We did bring some proof with us today, and we have friends tomorrow who can vouch for everything.”

Youko gave Mitsuhide an encouraging smile. “Why don’t you go get it? I’m sure it will make Mino a little less grouchy.”

“I’m not grouchy,” Minoru grumbled.

“You are, papa. But it’s ok. This is really all my fault. I wish I’d been able to call you both. I missed you so much.”

Her father swallowed whatever he’d planned to say, touched by his daughter’s affection.

Mitsuhide went to their bags and grabbed his sword and the clothes he’d arrived in. He carried them back to the dining area. These were unlikely to be enough, he thought, but it wasn’t as if they’d planned to be swept to this time that night.

“Our clothes -” he set them down, “and my sword.”

Minoru poked at the clothing, unimpressed. The sword, however, got his attention. “This . . . it isn’t just some decorative piece . . .” The words were quiet, said more to himself than anyone.

Still, Mitsuhide answered. “No. That blade has taken many lives.”

“And saved some too,” his little mouse added. “Mine included.”

Minoru looked between the two of them. “Maybe you’ve both lost your minds. This thing -” He pointed at the sword, “is clearly an antique, but that proves nothing.”

“You are so stubborn,” Youko huffed.

Mitsuhide was beginning to see where his little one got that quality. Sweetness from her mother, stubbornness from her father. It made him smile.

***

Miyake and Sasuke sat at a nearby bar, drinks in hand.

“So this is called karaoke?” Miyake eyed the screen with words that moved and then emptied his sake cup. “And I can sing whatever I want?”

“Not whatever. I doubt they have any songs you know on file. But I think the enjoyment quotient will still be high.” Sasuke began tapping through the song selection, his expression focused. He stopped when he came across one with the image of a pink-faced girl. “This one.”

Miyake shrugged. “Alright.”

The music started. It sounded nothing like the instruments Miyake knew, or the rhythms and beats that were familiar to him. Still, he could pick out the melody, and it was nice - if strange.

The first word on the screen lit up and Sasuke started singing. His voice was surprisingly pleasant, even though the lyrics were senseless.

Miyake joined him on the next verse, nodding to the beat. It was a cheerful tune, he thought. Perfect to drink to. He poured another glass for himself and the ninja.

They emptied that and another as the song ended. The next pick was Miyake’s. He chose one based on the picture, a cute girl in a ridiculously short skirt.

“This is the theme song for my favorite anime,” Sasuke grinned.

“Then I picked a good one?”

Sasuke patted his arm. “A great one.”

Two hours later, both of them were too drunk to walk straight. Their singing got louder as their ability to pronounce the lyrics dwindled.

“Todokete atsuku naru omi . . .” The song dissolved into drunken laughter.

Miyake threw an arm around Sasuke. “Y-you’re my besht - besht fren.”

Sasuke leaned into the hug. “N-now I have two! Two besht frienz - friends.” He grinned but the expression slid into a sad frown.

“Wha - what ish it?” Miyake peered at the ninja’s face. “Need more sake?”

“I - I wish my other fren wash here,” Sasuke hiccuped. “An Shingen. I wash goin- going to take him to a hoshpital.”

Miyake nodded, though he didn’t understand. “Maybe nexsht time?”

“If he livesh,” Sasuke sighed.

“To Shingen,” Miyake poured them another round of sake. “And nexsht time!”

They drank to the toast.

Sasuke poured another. “And to friendsh we lef-left behind.”

They drank to that too.

After several more toasts that grew further away from the original point - to short skirts and lady’s stockings, to coffee, to the karaoke bar - the two men finally paid their tab and stumbled to the hotel.

Miyake nearly puked on the elevator, as the movement made his stomach flip. He would have taken the stairs, if he thought he could find the steps. He leaned on Sasuke as they walked down the hall. It felt like their room was miles away.

Sarutobi fumbled with the lock, and when the door opened, they fell inside.

Between leaning on each other and the walls, they managed to stand again.

“I’m go-gonna shower,” Miyake mumbled.

“Me nexsht,” Sasuke agreed. He tripped toward the beds and fell into the nearest one, face first.

Miyake made it to the shower, but didn’t manage to turn it on. He slumped to the floor and leaned his head back on the cool tiles, falling into a deep sleep.

Next: Middle Ground

[myaekingheart]

naruto oc masterpost

i went on an artbreeder binge tonight and made a shit ton of my ocs so i figured now was as good as ever to make a proper masterpost. so without further ado, buckle the fuck up and here we go.

(stuck this under a read more because it got kind of long whoops)

the hatake family

rei natsuki and kakashi hatake were childhood best friends and neighbors. they drifted over the years after kakashi began losing everything and everyone he cared about. he refused to support rei’s dreams of becoming a ninja because he couldn’t stand to watch her put herself in harm’s way–he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. they are eventually reunited when rei is appointed to the anbu black ops. they quickly reconcile and start a romantic relationship together. eventually, they marry and have two children: nariko, who was born on a battlefield, and rokurou, who they are blessed with after kakashi takes office as sixth hokage.

two years after rokurou’s birth, rei and kakashi take in an orphaned girl who they name sutego. not long after, rei falls pregnant again with twins katsuro and keiko. a high-risk pregnancy, a long labor puts rei in distress and keiko, small and weak, is delivered after her brother by emergency c-section. it is after this experience that kakashi decides to retire as hokage to devote himself fully to his family. he and rei have one more child, a son, named kazuhiko.

dorimuchimu: the dream team rei’s childhood team. she was trained alongside her best friends naru fuzuki and sekkachi fumeiyo. naru was of a prominent family in konoha heavily involved with local politics and as such was rather well-off, financially. naru ends up following rei into the anbu black ops. sekkachi can only use taijutsu and therefore spent a lot of time with might guy, with whom she spars with every wednesday afternoon to this day. she is chronically ill and therefore has faced many setbacks in her shinobi journey, thus making her rather cynical and harsh. they four of them were led by their sensei, chikara, a former dancer.

tenshi taketori was one of the new recruits trained in the anbu alongside rei. she is cunning, seductive, and determined. mikazuki zazen was also one of the anbu trained alongside rei, known for her rare and powerful dojutsu–the shinkantazagan, which grants users a powerful sense of awareness. sefure kawakubo was a former flame of kakashi’s while he was in the anbu, met with mainly for stress relief purposes. her younger sister, arai kawakubo, is a coarse new anbu recruit assigned to the team that rei captains.

nozomu is a cynical artist who rei meets in an inpatient program in the konoha hospital. she is dark and brooding, placed in treatment after a suicide attempt, but her beautiful art gives others hope. suisen unohana is another patient, seeking treatment for an eating disorder. the inpatient program is led by sosei chouwa who preaches recovery based on holistic treatment methods. she has a twin sister, seiiku chouwa, who is the head of the maternity ward and a licensed midwife.

seiiku’s star pupil is a young immigrant, tanjo, who decided to become a midwife after the unexpected birth of her son, kyugeki, who she was unaware she was pregnant with. tanjo is responsible for delivering rei and kakashi’s second child in a home birth during a blizzard.

sefure and arai’s grandmother, edna kawakubo, owns a local high-end kimono shop that naru frequents. she is a former anbu and the head of the uniform sewing division in the konoha grandmother’s coalition, a group of elderly former shinobi who give back to the community by sewing new ninja uniforms among other things.

komori unohana, suisen’s grandmother, owns a local antiques shop alongside her twin brother, rojin unohana. komori was also a former anbu, childhood comrade of edna, and member of the konoha grandmother’s coalition. she is obsessed with collecting souvenirs and knick-knacks from various villages. rojin has a specialty in old mechanical pieces. he took chikara in when she first emigrated to konoha and she therefore repays his kindness by bringing him appliances of hers to fix.

arai’s daughter, ichika kawakubo, is nariko’s main rival. conceited and self-centered, she often cares more about a broken nail than training to become a strong shinobi. suisen’s daughter, kanami unohana, becomes best friends with rokurou hatake. she is blind, and never knew her father, but when suisen and kiba begin dating, he becomes as close to a father as she gets. he also provides her with her own ninken to act as a guide dog.

the kankitsurui girls rei’s grandmother, teiko natsuki, was originally of the kankitsurui clan—a small clan of citrus farmers on the outskirts of what would become konoha. teiko and her family were recruited to move to the newly established konoha by hashirama senju himself thanks to teiko’s extraordinary chakra tethering ability. as a child, she trained under mito uzumaki alongside edna kawakubo and komori unohana. she was extremely close with her younger sister, fuun kankitsurui, whose exile as a teenager after falling unexpectedly pregnant tore an irreparable rift between teiko and her strict parents. in an act of rebellion, teiko joined the anbu black ops. she went on to marry oku natsuki, the owner of a local bookshop, and have one son. as an elderly woman, she founded the konoha grandmother’s coalition and has an extremely close bond with her granddaughter.

the parents rei’s parents, hana and yuruganai natsuki, run the local bookstore, kaminoki shop. originally a yamanaka, hana turned down the civilian pathway thanks to suffering chronic migraines from using the mind transfer technique. she met her husband during her brief time in the academy. yuruganai was on the same genin team as sakumo and aijo hatake but quickly gave up on becoming a ninja after a serious arm injury during the chunin exams. sakumo and aijo, in contrast, becmae a legendary duo known for their ninja hounds, the companionship of which was rooted in aijo having grown up in the inuzuka clan. the two couples lived next door and raised their children, rei and kakashi, alongside one another until aijo and then sakumo both passed away.

amai is a waitress at the local dango shop who has a passion for sweets. she is often met by sekkachi and hiretsuna akado, the ditsy hospital receptionist who sekkachi treats to taiyaki as thanks for always keeping her company during her many doctor’s appointments. sukui yukio is another new recruit from rei’s anbu team, a charming and princely young man who never lets anyone forget about his resemblance to actor keihaku goman from the “icha icha” film adaptation. another comrade from rei’s anbu team is hitsuji akado, hiretsuna’s twin brother. he is a prodigy in math and science and has social anxiety and a dog allergy. he got the brains whereas his sister got the beauty. their father is an accountant and their mother is a friend of hana’s.

sekkachi’s cousin, tenjikubotan fumeiyo, is as glamorous and charming as sekkachi is blunt and sarcastic. where sekkachi works against her chronic illness–a family curse bestowed upon her grandmother when she fled to konoha for refuge–to achieve her dreams of being an elite ninja, tenjikubotan takes advantage of her sickness to be waited on hand and foot and treated like a princess. she has a tiger summons named byakko who acts as her companion. tenjikubotan’s bright and bubbly younger sister is roru fumeiyo, a chunin of konohagakure with her own tiger companion. she idolizes sekkachi and ends up in a relationship with rock lee. tenjikubotan goes on to marry sukui and together they have a daughter, oniyuri.

brother and sister duo ketsui and hoseki kenshin make the best ninja tools in the entire village. ketsui forges not only kunai and swords but also jewelry. kakashi trusted no one else to create the engagement ring he gave to rei. ketsui’s younger sister hoseki is his apprentice and teammates with suisen unohana and roru fumeiyo. when she is not forging her own weapons and jewlery, she is responsible for sourcing all of their material. one of her favorite things is going down into the mines and finding rare gems. she is especaily fascinated with guren’s crystal release.

ketsui and hoseki’s cousin, kagami kenshin, is another character that rei meets during her time in inpatient. kagami is in treatment to help manage his bipolar disorder. he, rei, suisen, and nozumu end up becoming fairly close with one another after attending group therapy sessions every day.

yuzu is a quirky preteen girl who hana and yuruganai hire to lend a helping hand at kaminoki. she devours books like nobody’s business and has a particular interest in sociopolitical matters.

[ghosthunthq]

The Bones in the Acid 3

By: @sprghosthunter

Prompt:  crime investigation AU

“It’s a partial match…” Oliver mumbled to himself. He had double and triple checked the results on his computer in the hopes he had actually made a mistake.  It… wasn’t concrete evidence, of course, but it added to the likelihood the bones in his lab belonged to his brother.

If only they hadn’t gone for a dip in bleach…and God knows what else, Then Oliver would have a more conclusive result. Still, the fact that a body bearing similar traits as Gene and himself had come to Oliver on the same day Gene was discovered to be missing… It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Oliver highly doubted it.

Setting the skull down, Oliver looked at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning… He hadn’t told Luella and Martin, but he assumed it was best to wait until later in the day, rather than waking them at an unreasonable hour.

Collecting his things, Oliver paused. He tossed a glance over his shoulder. After staring for a moment at the security camera, he slung his bag over his shoulder. He wondered why no one had come by. The security guard usually kicked Oliver out before one on the nights he stayed late, claiming the scientist actually needed to go home and rest.

Thinking nothing more of the guard’s absence, Oliver left his office. While making his way to the exit, Oliver peered into the security office. The guard was there, watching a late night talk show on a portable television. The monitors displaying various locations of the lab all appeared normal.

Just as Oliver was about to leave, the guard tossed a look towards him and greeted, “Hey Dr. Davis!” A few moments later, the guard sputtered and jumped out of his seat.

“Whoa! Wait a minute! Why are you here so early?!”

Oliver raised a brow, “Early? Hirota, I’m just now leaving.”

“But your office has been empty for hours!” Hirota pointed to the screens. Oliver’s office was dark, as he usually left it, but his desk wasn’t as he recalled it moments ago.

“I can assure you, I’ve been here.”

Clicking his tongue, Hirota reached for his flashlight, “Let’s go check out the camera in your office real quick. Maybe it’s busted. And then, please, go home.”

Oliver sighed and followed after the night guard. While making a return to his office, Oliver checked his phone. No missed calls. Either Mai was still investigating Gene’s place, or she didn’t care to speak to him. 

Shrugging, he sent her a text message, informing her of the results from his partial DNA comparison. He figured she ought to know, as it was pertinent to her investigation.

…line break…

Mai exhaled heavily as she read through her messages for the tenth time that morning. She hadn’t replied to Naru, nor was she in a mood to humor the thought. She had tried to be…nice to him, and offer him the chance to grieve, but he threw it right back at her with that stupid assumption he had made… The last thing Mai needed to do was upset him, or herself, further.

“Hey, so, got some news.” Yasu knocked on the doorframe before entering Mai’s office. “The techs say they couldn’t find any traces of blood. No hairs, or other fibers. Whoever did this is super clean… But, it’s weird. I mean, it looks like there was a brawl in there, and there’s not a trace of anything. You would think… if someone put up that kind of a fight…”

Mai sighed, “Maybe…it was staged to look like that? Was anything of value taken?”

Yasu shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. Maybe he had a stash of cash no one knew about, or drugs?”

“Gene didn’t keep drugs.” Mai raised an unamused brow. 

Holding up his hands, Yasu sighed, “I’m just theorizing here. Besides, I don’t think you could be one hundred percent certain of that. People hide things from each other.”

“Yasu…” Mai groaned. “So, if we aren’t sure anything valuable was taken, and there wasn’t a fight… why trash the place? If this guy is smart enough to basically dissolve a body, then they should be smart enough to properly stage a robbery. What other motive could there be for that kind of destruction?”

“Whoa,” Yasu gave Mai a sideways look, “did you just say dissolve a body? What does that have to do with Gene?”

Mai blinked as she leaned into her chair, “Ah, I got a text from Naru. The bones, he got a partial from them. It’s a partial match to his DNA.”

“Oh shit…” Yasu’s face fell. “So… that… that was Gene?!”

Mai nodded, knitting her fingers together as she choked out, “Yeah. Seems so.”

“Ah damn… So, is Naru holding up okay?”

Mai glared, “I don’t know… And I’m not taking the time to find out right now. We have a lot of work to do if we want to catch his murderer. Checking on Naru’s feelings, if he even has them, isn’t going to get us any closer to solving this case.”

…line break…

“Kaneyuki Miyama is coming by the lab today,” spoke a dark haired woman from behind her hand. “I heard he’s looking to sponsor another one of Naru’s archaeological ventures.”

Ayako smirked, “Really? Do you know if he’s still single?”

Maskao chucked, “Oh please, don’t tell me you honestly find him attractive? He’s so pale, and always looks rather sickly. And we aren’t even mentioning the fact he’s easily double your age.”

“Oh, of course not! But the guy is loaded! I mean, the money that guy has to blow on Naru’s research?! Didn’t you see how many zeros were at the end of that last check?”

“Ah,” shaking her head, Masako continued, “you’re looking for a sugar daddy then.”

“I guess you can say that. It’s not like I would be taking total advantage. He would have the company of such an attractive woman,” assured Ayako.

Masako replied with a snort, “Oh please, you may be half his age, but I don’t think you look young enough to be his sugar baby. That, and you have quite the temper. You could put off Satan himself!”

Ayako’s thin eyebrows twitched, “Why you-” 

“Girls,” Takigawa interrupted them as he strode into the lounge. He wagged a finger at them and spoke with a sing-song voice, “There isn’t any need to argue over nothing! Besides, you’re totally too old to be a sugar baby, Ayako! Old men have plenty of wrinkles! They don’t need to stand by a woman who’s got an equal number of them! ”

THWACK!

“Ow! What was that for you old hag?!” Rubbing his head, Takigawa glared at the woman armed with an oversized, leather purse. 

“Call me “old” one more time and I’ll do it again, you stupid buffoon!”

“Let me remind you that I’m the head intern for a reason here, and it’s not because I’m lacking intellect!”

“Oh, but you’re lacking common sense, that’s for sure Mr. I got my ass stuck in a priceless Egyptian sarcophagus!”

“It wasn’t like that, hag, and you know it!”

THWACK!

“Ow!”

Embarrassed by her fellow interns, Masako stood up, “Well, since you two insist on fighting like an old married couple, I think I’m going to go. Someone with at least an ounce of class needs to be by Naru’s side when Kaneyuki arrives.”

“Who said you had class?!” shouted the arguing duo as Masako made her exit. The young woman paid no mind as the two continued on with their loud, immature bickering.

…line break…

“I don’t care to see him. We can reschedule.”

“But Naru!” Masako gasped, “He’s here to fund your next project! You can’t just send him away!”

“I have more important things to work on.”

Hands on her hips, Masako scoffed, “Like what?! That body Mai dumped on you? An hour away from it isn’t going to do her investigation any harm! This guy is already dead, and you said yourself Mai doesn’t have any reasonable leads and-”

“We think it’s Gene.”

She froze, and her cheeks paled. Gene? How could they have reached that conclusion? How was Oliver so calm about it?! 

Making eye contact, Masako whispered, “I… I didn’t… Naru I’m-”

Oliver didn’t allow Masako to continue with her sympathies. “It’s fine. Why don’t you handle Kaneyuki with Takigawa? Give him my notes regarding the potential dig site, and promise him that I will reach out to him personally to set up a meeting at a later date.”

The woman nodded as she gripped the doorframe. She watched Oliver return to the bones on his desk before speaking, “Alright… And Naru… Please…don’t overwork yourself on this one.”

[amynchan]

sunny-bab replied to your post: how…many of you guys are fans of both Ghost Hunt...

what’s ghost hunt? ��

Oh, goodie!  Someone new to corrupt!  Thank you for asking, @sunny-bab!!

Well, the short of it is that Ghost Hunt is an anime that I very thoroughly enjoyed when I was younger.

The long of it is that Ghost Hunt is an incredibly written light novel series that I’ve never read.  I’ve only read the manga and see its anime adaptation, both of which were done very well, imho.

BRIEF PLOT

Ghost Hunt follows the protagonist, Mai Taniyama, as she delves further and further into the realm of ghosts, spirits, mediums, exorcists, and paranormal research/parapsychology.  She begins as a normal high school student and lands a job with SPR, a company that researches the paranormal, working under her boss, Kazuya Shibuya, whom she dubs as Naru the Narcisisst.  There are other characters, each of whom embodies a unique set of traits without leaning too heavily upon any one stereotype.  We’ve got the Buddhist Monk, the Shinto Priestess, the Catholic Exorcist, the medium, and the Onmyouji.  They’re all endearing in their own way and their respective methods have been researched to be portrayed accurately.

BRIEF TONE

Ghost Hunt has a nice balance of humor and horror for me.  The characters are quirky enough and in enough serious situations to pull this off time and time again.

(If you watch, you will thank me when you get to Yasu, ok??)

[and...er...don’t watch at night when you get to case 7]

BRIEF CONTEXT

However, with each adaptation, some of the story is lost.  The light novel series is written from Mai’s perspective and, being the original source material, is the most complete in its story.  It is written in Japanese and while a great deal of it has been translated, not all of it has made its way around the globe.  The manga adaptation has captured much of this story and, thankfully, has been translated into several languages.  Even as recently as 2015, more additions were being made in the form of Akumu No Sumu Ie, the sequel of Ghost Hunt.  The anime contains perhaps the least amount of the complete story, but it in and of itself is done in a very compelling manner.  With a beautiful OST that I still listen to whenever I need to concentrate, interesting camera angles to make the many conversations seem a bit more interesting, a sense of a complete story should you not be aware of the light novels (which I wasn’t at the time), and a tendency to overexaggerate facial expressions for comedic relief purposes, the anime kept my attention and pushed me to the manga in order to learn more about the story.  (and I was not disappointed!!)

FANDOOOM!  (love y’all)

Now, I will warn you once and ONLY ONCE!!!  Do not mess with the Ghost Hunt fandom.  We may be small, but we are mighty and we love to love each other’s works.  I’ve seen some stunning art and compelling storylines.  And everyone was super nice when I wasn’t writing exactly my best works.  This is the one fandom I felt comfortable enough to write a completely awful crack fic just because we’re so self-aware of our tropes and everyone was in the mood for a laugh.  We’re like the new fandom that never made it to the ‘hate everybody’s work and call it criticism’ phase.  There are some who disagree with the author’s direction (the author never wanted to make the main couple cannon [they are still not cannon btw]), and while there are some sour grapes about that, most of the fandom is supportive of that and we keep to our fanworks.  This fandom produces romantic content, mystery content, horror content, humor content, crack content, slice of life content, drabbles, oneshots, and novel-length adventures.  It feels very diverse for a fandom and I absolutely Love It.

IN SUMMARY

Now, it feels like I’ve talked more about my experience with Ghost Hunt rather than about what it’s actually about, but I’ve said what I can without giving too much away.  It’s horror, it’s suspense, it’s comedy, it’s a little romantic and sweet, it’s a mystery, it’s a bit goofy.

It’s Ghost Hunt.  What else can I say?

Now, Naru wants you to go watch some Ghost Hunt.  XD

[irelia-ad]

Story: A Distant Dawn

A story that hopefully won’t get deleted. I had an idea before I went to sleep one day and felt inspired to write. So given how this desire strikes once every quarter, I gave it my undivided atte-... ohh shiny. 

Credits

Thanks to @videtur-existentiae for proofreading and inspiring quality of life changes to hopefully make the story less s*%! over all. 

Enjoy.

Tall. Imposing. Grand. These were some of the words that run through the minds of the brave elves who found themselves stood before the newly proclaimed Hall of Blood as the elegant statues and weaponry decorated its entrances. Lilia Rosecloud, like a small few, found themselves chosen from willing interest, or otherwise to stand trial to join a newly formed branch of the Sin’dorei military known as the Blood Knights. Warriors of Light and sword who do not kneel to the will of the light to control its powers.

Months passed as many endured grueling trials to fill the places of the Hall. Adept Rosecloud spent many of her days enlisting the help of Knights willing to help those of her rank and skill better themselves for the trials she was soon to face. One who proved to be most helpful was the one she least expected to be of any help.

Soon after receiving news that her trials were to be held shortly, Rosecloud increased her efforts in forcing the light to her aid. Pushing herself to effective use had been difficult. The screams inside of her mind are like cut glass. The pains of the captured Naru had been stopping her from properly performing most of the spells she needed to be ready for the trials. It did not help that the Adept felt watched by the Knights present on the training field. One who seemed to be always present was one of the few who kept to themselves at a distance. Intense eyes went concealed by the mask of the Hall of Blood. The female wearing red hair tied in a tail behind their head and stood distant from from those around her. Her gaze never ending when it found Adept Rosecloud.

The knight unnerved Rosecloud, making the adept come up with insecurities of being watched whilst she trained. She would never have expected that it would be the same woman who would give her the last scrapes of help she needed to perfect the skills to survive her trials. When Rosecould returned from her trials, she returned to the training grounds to meet the Knight who helped her gain her insignia. However, the Knight was nowhere to be seen.

Rosecloud returned to her husband and two sons. She was one of those who were fortunate to be able to carry her younger son to birth through the trying year that followed the Fall. Her older son was born two years before their brother. The Rosecloud family were thankful they were alive like the rest of their people. They considered themselves the lucky ones for making out of those horrible times with their closest family still intact, unlike many others.

It was not until a week later that Rosecloud was able to express her thanks to the Knight who effectively got her through her trials. The Knight introduced herself as Dawnbringer. She herself was continuing her skills with multiple weapons, but mainly the sword and shield. Rosecloud’s background as a city guard allowed her to give good insight into more advanced methods of using these weapons. This seemed like fitting repayment as Rosecloud learned more about Dawnbringer’s past. She was a former Priestess, one who taught younger priests and aided families that were living away from the main city. It was what made Dawnbringer all the more helpful in seeing Rosecloud through the difficult aspects of forcing the light for her trials.

Weeks of trying to maintain contact with Dawnbringer proved difficult. The perfect knight in shining black armour who saved her from failure was no so perfect after all. Their distance was caused by deeply founded troubles. Dawnbringer’s injuries caused by her over-ambition to step in front of an enemy's attack to protect those behind her, even when it did not make sense to do so. Rosecloud’s efforts to aid the Knight with seemingly self destructive combat strategies appeared to be in vain. Instead, Rosecloud continued in her duties. The days passed by with her aid being offered in fewer and fewer intervals. However, the help Dawnbringer had been eventually lead to Rosecloud insisting that she visit her home.

The sun shone high over the small village Rosecloud’s house occupied. Each house was damaged in their own way, but decorative reds and golds have been added to vibrantly shine with the other restorations. The soft, golden glow of the surrounding woodland of Eversong complimented the comforting warm colours of the small village. Knight Dawnbringer seemed to take comfort in this environment, but her comfort failed to meet her eyes. What troubles hidden behind the knight were obvious for those searching them.

Pleasantries unfolded as the small family and Dawnbringer enjoyed the evening together. The small house was lit by small candles around the room once the glow of the sun had set behind the trees. The room was decorated in red elven felts and purples veils to divide the larger room into smaller sections. Rosecloud noted a shift in Dawnbringer’s mood when she bore witness to the Rodecloud family. Dawnbringer gave an apparent happiness she had never been seen to have. Despite her husband and children being welcoming, Dawnbringer’s mood seemed to go unchanged following her visit.

An impending attack on the Isle of Quel’danas was in preparations causing both Rosecloud and Dawnbringer unease in the days leading up to it. They were to be ready to liberate the island from their once great prince and other knights of their halls who were twisted into his corrupt ways.

The battles were bloody and hard. Rosecloud felt a pit of dread for every one of her kin who fell before her as they stood with the Dawnblade. Demons ravaged those unfortunate to fall prey to her attacks. Explosions of fel fire as gigantic infernals scourged the earth below them before being struck down under blasts of intense light from the Knights of her company. Many had fallen from all sides before eventually, it happened. Across the world, the warmth of the Sunwell’s reignition washed over the elves connected to it with their once lost arcane and now new powers of light.

Dawnbringer was not seen at the short celebrations following the victory they achieved, but Rosecloud could not worry about her now. The doors to her home burst open as her family flooded out to meet her on returning to their village, having helped achieve an important victory for the Sin’dorei. She reveled in the time with her children. When they slept, she enjoyed drinks with her husband. When the night crept in and their doors stood closed, they laughed and were happy for where they were. When the heat grew and their contact became of the most intimate, they shared their long night together.

It was some years later that Rosecloud was expecting another child. Her talks with Knight Dawnbringer grew briefer and less frequent as the Knight crept into deeper levels of despair before having times where she would completely disappear.  Rosecloud always wondered how she spent her time. Never did she look well and never did she rest from training or running missions for the Hall of Blood. The discovering of the Pandaren lands had been keeping Rosecloud busy within the Halls.

The next that was seen of Knight Dawnbringer was shortly after the birth of Rosecloud’s newest addition to the family, a daughter. The perspective of Dawnbringer as an outsider looking in was of complete bliss and pure happiness. The reclusive Knight could not have found more joy out of a reunited family if she tried. Rosecloud thought she had helped the troubled woman, but yet again she was wrong. Dawnbringer disappeared once again for the longest period ever.

More years passed. Rosecloud’s duties remained set. She did battle where needed, returned to the loving embrace of her family, and moved on under the command of her Matriarch. It was when the Legion first started bringing hell to Azeroth that she heard whispers of Dawnbringer’s name once again. Rosecloud saw fit to search around the Hall for recent reports that would indicate where Dawnbringer is to be found. A large span of time was observed between the reports Dawnbringer had made the Hall of Blood. But in recent weeks, they had been coming in once again. Rosecloud then moved to track Dawnbringer down to see her once more. Only this time, she knew by sight that something was different about her. She approached Dawnbringer with a smile.

“Knight Dawnbringer. Or should I say Knight Sunglance now. Congratulations.”

Rosecloud noted that Sunglance seemed better than she ever had been before. Her new husband lay ill in her new home, but her general attitude and expression seemed to be of somebody much happier. Soon after, Knight Sunglance was expecting her first child. Later, she found out it was a son, news which helped lighten Rosecloud’s mood as the stress of the legions attacks caused strains within her own marriage. Her own home was crippled by worry, her husband frustrated with each time she left to fight demon incursions on their world.

Sollemar Rosecloud lived a far less dangerous lifestyle than his wife in the Hall of Blood. His role asked of him to provide protection to trade caravans moving supplies between villages as they tried to reforge routes to move supplies around after the third war. He was able to return home to safeguard his family whilst his wife remained away for days or weeks on end. The threat of losing her to the legion ever present. This ultimately lead to irrational acts of worry that spiraled into eventual tensions as the war carried on. Her sons and daughters suffered the most. That was something that neither Sollemar or Lilia could stand, only further adding fuel to the internal conflict.

The war against the Legion kept Rosecloud involved with mission after painful mission. Her husband had eventually come to terms with what she has to do, lifting that weight off of her mind. The durations of her campaigns grew longer as new lands came to be discovered, only to have more war and bloodshed ripped through them. Her interactions with Sunglance became few and far between in this time. As was her time with her family. But when the time permitted, she was able to get all the time she needed to spend with her three children whilst her husband was away performing his own functions for the Kingdom.

Her family leapt out at her when she finally returned home for good. The dreaded green moon Azeroth had acquired was gone and the wound to their world had not ended all life as they knew it. The doors of her home opened and she was welcomed by her two sons and husband holding their infant daughter in his arms.

Her next meeting with Sunglance was quite different. A smile was held as she approached but she was duty bound to walk over with strict formality in her posture now.

“Knight-Master Sunglance. Greetings.”

There was no question in Knight Rosecloud’s mind that the Knight-Master before her was no longer the cold, secluded Knight with self destructive tendencies. No longer did she carry an atmosphere of depression and dread. Now she stands strict, fair and carries herself with pride. Those who could endure her training emerged with a well rounded set of skills, training through all hours of a day to see that their form and skill set were flawless. Rosecloud had experienced this training first hand, and continued to do so. But now, from somebody who stood in a position of strength, not of sorrow.

Weeks of training slowly worn down Rosecloud’s newfound admiration for the person Knight-Master Sunglance had become. Slowly, she started to see the same distance the Knight-Master carried in the days of old. Eventually, Rosecloud found the right time and right place to express these concerns to Sunglance. The Knight received a faint smile, something she wasn’t expecting to get. Based on the concerns Rosecloud expressed and how indecent it could have been perceived, a smile was the least she expected.

“You need not worry about me Knight Rosecloud. My distance comes from the pains my role carries. I am not to be friends to the Knights under my command. I have to demand respect and set an example of authority not to be questioned. I have to train you all from the ground up into the knights you become now. Send you to battle and sometimes to your deaths. I am not allowed a moment to simply pretend there are no problems in the world because it is indecent to bury my head in the sand whilst the families of the Knights I have lost bury or burn the holes now left in their families.”

Rosecloud left the conversation with a stark reminder of how the Knight-Master could be depressingly realistic with her statements now. It appeared she took no joy in some of the words she said, but say them she did. Rosecloud returned home, enjoying the time with her family as much as she could with the threat of war looming over them all once again.

It was not long since the Legion threat was ended that Rosecloud had to march yet again. Bloody battles awaited her in defense of the lands to the south as the Alliance marched north with vengeance in their hearts for the actions of the Warchief. Battle after battle, injuries were sustained. Their ranks and forces pushed back until the walls of Undercity shook under the artillery of Alliance war machines.

Plated boots stepped through the small village Rosecloud calls home.

The red armour of the Hall of Blood once again marched through the village towards a familiar destination. The steps finally having arrived outside the door of the Rosecloud home. The door creaked open as those who lived inside stood in waiting, expecting to find Knight Rosecloud as they always did. Their eyes found a Knight stood there, but it was not Rosecloud. The husband looked on as the joy washed from his face as Knight-Master Sunglance stood before him, tabard of the Blood Knights was held under her arm with a joyless formal look on her face.

“Master Rosecloud. It is with deepest sorrow I come to visit you personally to inform you of the death of your beloved wife…”

The words fade into a muffled blur as Irelia speaks to the family. Her body was crippled internally with guilt as she slowly destroyed the family before her. The husband lost the will to stand as he lowered himself to hold his two sons who cried loud enough for the whole village to hear. Her friend was lost and the family she left behind was rendered torn as a mother of three is taken from them. The commotion only saw to wake the sleeping daughter within the house, her cries joining the symphony of despair.

Irelia gave her final condolences before she left. The pleasant sight of the woods, its warm glows were left hollow and empty with weight of the loss handing in the Knight-Master’s mind. The family that was full of joy and delivered Irelia hope all those years ago, were all gone. Irelia left, a small village changed forever by her actions as the herald of bad news.

It was a long night that followed. The loss especially painful from Irelia’s closer relationship with Rosecloud and her family that now suffers it. But Irelia tried to force sleep the same way she always does. Lilia Rosecloud was not the first and she will not be the last. Irelia’s eyes drift close. Mind wrecked with fear of her own family suffering the same.

[tl-notes]

Kobayashi's Maid Dragon Episode 3 Notes

The 巳 (mi) kanji here is the one for snake, in a zodiac sense (normally snake is 蛇 (hebi).

As you could probably guess, this is a realtor's office. When trying to rent a new place in Japan, you are almost certainly going to go one of these offices (they’re extremely recognizable due to the dozens of floor plans plastered out front). Nowadays there are online databases you can use to look up vacant properties, but the posts are by individual realtors so even if you find a place online you’ll still need to go through them—it’s basically impossible to deal directly with the property owner or the property management company.

Also there’s nothing stopping owners from denying a contract to potential renters for being foreign, which can make finding a place a bit more of a hassle if you aren't Japanese. You’ll be at the realtor's office and pick a place you like to go look at, and they’ll have to call up the management company, who will call up the property owner, and ask if “foreigners from [your country] are okay” before moving forward with anything.

Specifically he says 3LDK, which is three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. That’s the usual format for describing apartments/condos; 1K is one room plus a kitchen, 2DK is two plus dining and kitchen, etc. In the city, by far the most common type is 1K. Japan doesn't have much of a tradition of having roommates (unless you’re in a dorm of some sort), so most places are either for a single person or a family.

It can actually be pretty hard to find a place that will rent to 2+ people if they aren't married/family, presumably due to some combination of risk aversion (if you and your roommate(s) have a falling out you’re more likely to move out, I guess) and “tradition.” Not to say you can’t, of course, but it definitely adds another layer of difficulty.

irl it would have been impossible for them to find a new place to rent without proper ID for Tohru and Kannaーaside from tourists people on short-term business trips, everyone in Japan must be registered with their local government, and you need proof that you are in order to do anything like renting or opening a bank account.

What she actually asks is whether Tohru is kireizuki (綺麗好き), which is a common term for someone who likes to keep things clean—like their room, office, desk, etc., not just personal hygiene.

The pun here is that bugs are mushi (虫) and cavities (and the bacteria that cause them) are mushiba/mushibakin (虫歯/虫歯菌). Kobayashi’s line was like “mushi? Not mushibakin?”

Kani (蟹) is crab, in case that wasn't clear. Kani Beer (bi-ru) sounds very similar to Kanibiru, which is a type of parasite that afflicts crabs. If you google image search カニビル you can see some gross pictures of it.

The other bottles there are energy drinks, which in Japan tend to be sold in those tiny bottles and are associated with (and highly marketed to) the huge masses of overworked salarymen.

“Salaryman” (サラリーマン) is by the way a loan word that is used to refer to both male and female salaried office workers.

Titles include such hits as “The World and Life of an English Maid”, “Leave it to Maid!” (volumes 5, 6, and 9), ”Encyclopedia of Maid Wear ”, “Maids and Butlers”, etc.

There’s that “choro-gon” thing again. This scene is a perfect example of the concept: A: “You need to clean up after yourself better!” B: “But I like having you clean up after me…” A: “Oh you! I guess it’s fine then!”

And this is a perfect example of an “oyakusoku.” The instant Tohru asks to try on Kobayashi’s clothes, the audience knows there is a “the chest is a little tight…” joke coming up.

Random fact: Japanese cup sizes go A→B→C→D→E, not AA→A→B→C→D→DD.

Did you know that haiku aren’t just the 5-7-5 thing, but in Japanese they also specifically include “season words” (季語 kigo), that associate them with a particular season? A 5-7-5 poem without them is called a senryuu (川柳) instead. (It’s more complicated than that but, close enough.)

These “season words” are commonly used in other pieces of art as well, as symbols to show what season it is and to evoke certain sentiments.

The “first cherry blossoms” (初桜 or 初花) is what’s being referenced here. Cherry blossoms hold a lot of emotional weight in Japan, and symbolize, among other things, getting a fresh start. The Japanese school year ends in March and begins in April—the period when cherry blossoms bloom—so it’s seen as a time where you’re moving on to new things: new class, new school, new job (college students will have typically secured employment by graduation and start almost immediately), etc., even more so than spring is in other countries on a different schedule.

This crane is another spring “season word,” as they return from their winter migration around March. It’s considered a happy event, as they’re finally returning home after a strenuous journey.

Hm? Migratory birds you say?

There’s construction going on all the time in Japan. In large part that’s due to infrastructure spending traditionally being a primary source of economic stimulus by the government. Generally they’re very fast about it at least; road work is often done overnight, and new buildings pop up seemingly out of nowhere (at least in Tokyo).

The little cut-out worker dude you see in the foreground there is a real thing that gets used sometimes; often it’s shown bowing and apologizing for the trouble the construction is causing for traffic and such.

Raise your hand if you thought this meant Kobayashi was asking Tohru to hide her horns.

Well, sort of. She actually is using an idiom that means “to make things worse” (角を立てる kado wo tateru). It comes from another phrase, to make (raise the) corners in one’s eyes (目に角を立てる me ni kado wo tateru), which means glaring angrily. Basically the idea is that if you’re “rising corners” (in people’s eyes) you’re making them angry, i.e. making things worse.

Part of the joke though, is that the kanji for “corner” (角 kado) is also the kanji for “horn” (角 tsuno or sometimes kaku).

I'm not sure if the translator was just working off a script and so didn't realize she was saying kado, didn't know the idiom, or was just doing their best to make the line make sense while preserving the horn pun without a paragraph-long TL note.

The way she says “bothering” (気になる ki ni naru) here is less rude/direct sounding than in English, and could just as well be read as indicating curiosity or worry as annoyance.

The brown bits are (probably) fried tofu.

Nanohana (菜の花) gets translated as rapeseed a lot, but really it refers to a variety of plants: flowering, edible members of the brassica genus (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, diakon, cabbage, etc.). The one most commonly referred to as “nanohana” is indeed rapeseed, but the kind you eat (i.e. buy at a grocery store in Japan) is a differently cultivated version from the kind you look at as a pretty flower, and more closely resembles tenderstem broccoli.

Nanohana is also...another spring “season word”!

“The one who calls people stupid is the real stupid one” (馬鹿と言う方が馬鹿 baka to iu hou ga baka) is a common saying in Japanese, this is supposed to be a humorous twist on that.

It’s Donut!

The word for “dropping rank” here is 無礼講 (bureikou). Japanese workplaces are very hierarchical, there’s certain language you have to use with your boss and senpai, it’s very stiff and ritualized in a lot of ways. That can cause problems, especially in the past when it was even stricter, as it highly limits the things you can talk to your superiors about.

The “solution” to this is having a (drinking) party where everyone agrees to drop the act and just have fun/speak your mind. They’re considered important team-building exercises, in a way. However, of course you still can’t take things too far and there are various other social rules involved, so these events have their own difficulties as well.

Kobayashi in particular doesn't seem to like dealing with people, and prefers to hide behind social formalities, as we see later in the episode.

The other phrase here 選べない酒 (erabenai sake; alcohol you can’t choose), I believe is referring to how you can’t turn down drinks when offered at these things. If your boss or senpai is like, “hey, have a drink!” you’re not supposed to refuse—one of the “wait but I thought we dropped the rules” rules.

They actually had to make it a law that you can’t force your subordinates to drink it was such a problem (people getting sick/dying from alcohol poisoning etc.), though I’m not sure how effective it has been.

The phrase she uses here (不安しかないな fuan shika nai na) has more a nuance of “I have a terrible feeling about this,” and I feel the “I'm only worried” translation maybe sort of implies “It’s fine I'm just worried about it is all” instead.

I like the symbolism of Kanna's band snapping as she says it too.

“Goth-loli” is a fashion style, short for gothic lolita, and is not necessarily related to other usages of that word.

Here’s her hiding behind those social formalities. Basically she’s taking the standard formalized template of “how to politely greet someone for the first time (in a work environment)” and just acting it out, rather than actually interacting on a personal level.

The phrase used, 社交辞令 (shakou jirei) refers to these sorts of formalized, “for politeness’s sake” types of things; typically greetings or compliments. It’s kind of like “How are you?” in English, where we ask but don’t actually want or expect a full answer about how they are actually doing or feeling right now—just on a larger scale.

Both Fafnir and Quetzalcoatl have a bunch of references to their mythological counterparts, but you can look that up on Wikipedia just as easily as I can.

“Pai” is used in various words for breasts, so the pi symbol π is used sometimes to refer to them as well. The other word in the background there is 怪しからん (keshikaran), which basically means outrageous/inexcusable. It’s kind of old fashioned, except it’s been turned into a meme where people will use it ironically to describe something erotic and then ask for more. Like, “What are they doing, this is outrageous! No no, don’t stop them.”

The word used here is 痴女 (chijo). It actually means “female pervert,” not necessarily slutty. By “pervert,” it’s meant in like the train molester or flasher kind of way. You may have heard the word used for the train molesters before: chikan (痴漢). Chijo is the female equivalent, literally just replacing the (old fashioned) "man" kanji with the one for woman.

Basically she’s saying “that’s indecent exposure.”

She actually says “early elderly” (初老 shorou), not middle-aged (中年 chuunen). Chuunen is usually from about 40, while shorou is like 60ish. The image is like, white hair, moustache, old-but-still-in-good-shape. Basically Alfred from Batman.

Technically one of the dictionary definitions of shorou is “40,” which would be middle-aged, but that’s not what someone means when they use it in conversation.

In case anyone missed it, she’s just observing that they lean into the turns and such, as some people will tend to do when playing racing games and such.

The title of the ED is “Ishukan Communication” (in katakana). 一週間 (isshuukan) means “one week”/”one week’s time,” and you can see all the days of the week references and such. However, ishu (異種) means different species and kan (間) can be used as a suffix similar to the prefix “inter” in English, so it also means “interspecies communication.”

Also: chorogons.

Japanese days of the week are:

月曜日, moon day, named after the moon (月) 火曜日, fire day, named after Mars (火星, fire planet) 水曜日, water day, named after Mercury (水星, water planet) 木曜日, wood day, named after Jupiter (木製, wood planet) 金曜日, gold day, named after Venus (金星, gold planet) 土曜日, groud/soil day, named after Saturn (土星, ground/soil planet) 日曜日, Sunday(!), named after the sun (日)

[myaekingheart]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

Happy International Women's Day! What is your OC's relationship with being a woman? How has being female affected their upbringing and/or their past? How does being female affect their actions, thoughts, and relationships with others, if at all?

Hi OC Questions Fairy! 

I’m gonna answer this for all of my female OCs so they each get a little attention so this might take a minute hahaha With Rei, it was never so much of an issue of being a woman than it was an issue of what was expected of her as a woman. Her parents had a very specific vision in mind for the type of life they wanted for her that involved the usual “get married, have babies, be a housewife” route. And while Rei has always yearned to be a wife and a mother, she also has always yearned to be a ninja. The opposition of her family about her becoming a ninja, however, led her to believe that she could not do both and for a long time she suppressed her desire for domesticity in order to focus entirely on her career.  Which is also telling of Rei’s mother, Hana. She had sort of an opposite experience in that her family wanted her to become a ninja and take advantage of the Yamanaka’s kekkei genkai, the mind transfer technique, but Hana was not fit for becoming a ninja. Every time she tried to use the family jutsu, she would get splitting migraines. She never even wanted to become a ninja in the first place, however, and feels right at home fulfilling her expected gender roles.  Kakashi’s mother, Aijo, never really played by the rules when it came to femininity. She was always kind of feral and wild, she didn’t have any reservations about getting down and dirty in her work.  Rei’s grandmother, Teiko, had very much the same path as Rei. Her family had no interest in shinobi whatsoever, but Teiko had a gift and she was drawn to ninja work. She also kind of defied what was expected of her for a really long time and tried to balance both a ninja career and being a mother but she ultimately had to make a sacrifice and choose her family over everything else.  Teiko’s old teammates, Komori and Edna, have interesting relationships with their womanhood. Komori is kind of eccentric and materialistic in a way. She has a twin brother, Rojin, and together they run the local antiques shop. She never really felt like she was not on equal footing compared to her brother, but she also worked very hard to become a solid ninja. She was ready to give it up in a heartbeat in order to be the best mother she could to her children, though. Edna is the type who loves being a woman and engaging in things that are deemed “womanly.” Though she, too, was a fearsome ninja, she is also an expert in fashion and even runs the local high-end kimono shop. She’s the type who just absolutely revels in everything that she’s allowed to do and expected to do as a woman and she does those things with utmost confidence.  Komori’s granddaughter, Suisen, struggles with not just womanhood but existing in a body in general. She deals with an eating disorder and therefore has struggled a lot with body image, peer pressure, and a sense of control, all of which are not exclusively feminine issues but are definitely influenced by those issues.  Edna has two granddaughters, Sefure and Arai, who could not be more different. Sefure is far more feminine than her younger sister, but at a price. She has adopted that maternal instinct of wanting to provide for her sister, while Arai has the instinct to protect. In turn, Sefure has learned to use her womanhood and sex appeal for a source of income in order to support her sister, who instead turns to shinobi work and yearns to prove herself as strong and capable so that she can create a better life for the two of them.  Rei’s teammate and best friend, Sekkachi, has a similar issue to Rei in that she has certain expectations pinned on her by her family. Sekkachi wants nothing to do with them, though. She refuses to become the doting wife and mother--it’s just not in her blood. She is, instead, the strong, independent woman type but with a fault. She wants to have companionship but she struggles with accepting others into her life and allowing herself to be vulnerable. She’s built up an impenetrable wall and keeps up this facade of being unaffected and aloof. And while we’re on the subject of her and womanhood, it’s also important to note how significant woman are to her as a lesbian, so despite her bluntness and her independence, she of course tries her best to support women (even if sometimes her support seems like the opposite, in terms of her and Rei’s relationship where they butt heads constantly and she tends to criticize Rei’s life choices once and a while. All in all, she’s not perfect.)  Rei’s other teammate and childhood best friend, Naru, definitely also revelled in her femininity much like Edna and Sefure do. Naru has charm, she’s popular, and she always knows everyone’s business because she feels like she has a responsibility to be a nexus of information. She’s bubbly and bright but also knows how to use her feminine charm to her own benefit, i.e. manipulation and genjutsu.  Rei, Sekkachi, and Naru’s sensei is Chikara, a former dancer turned shinobi. Chikara has a very vast knowledge of what it means to be a woman in this profession but rather than fight against that inequality, she teaches her students how to use that to their advantage. She taught her students choreographed dance routines and as a team, they created an entire ensemble alter ego of rave dancers to perform at a local club where many enemy ninja are often attracted so that in this way, the girls essentially weaponize their femininity in order to lure criminals to their deaths.  And on the subject of weaponizing femininity, none do this better than Tenshi. While she also exemplifies some of the negative social aspects of being a woman such as sexualization and competition, she uses her sex appeal to lure men so that she can get what she wants. And often times what she wants are eyeballs. Specifically Sharingan. Because she works for Danzo. This is why she is currently in jail.  Mikazuki doesn’t really feel very tied to her identity as a woman, I don’t think? She’s very spiritual and while she’s also very feminine in the way she presents herself, as well as demure and shy, I don’t think she really focuses much on the fact that she’s a woman. I know in terms of sexuality, none of it matters to her one bit. She’s more concerned with what type of person you are than what gender you are, though she definitely is aware of the inherent inequality of being a woman. After all, she’s in this shinobi business, too, which doesn’t really let you forget about that.  In terms of Sekkachi’s family, her grandmother Kohai’s entire backstory hinges on her womanhood. She migrated to the Konoha because she dared to practice a sense of agency over her female existence in terminating an unwanted pregnancy, which her family disowned her for. She knew that she made the right decision for herself, however, and went on to carry that with a sense of self-acceptance--as well as a reclamation of the term fumeiyo, which means dishonor, and was the surname she chose for herself when she branched out on her own.  Sekkachi’s cousin, Tenjikubotan, is another woman who soaks up all the advantages of her womanhood. She behaves like a socialite and enjoys the company of attractive men, as well as making herself attractive for them.  Tenjikubotan’s younger sister, Roru, is far less concerned with appearances. She just wants to follow in her cousin Sekkachi’s footsteps and become a badass ninja. She isn’t entirely concerned with what effect her womanhood might have on her, which perhaps is merely a positive sign that her much younger generation is making strides toward gender equality in the shinobi world.  While these two are more minor characters, I really want to include Amai and Hiretsuna, as well. Amai is very much invested in her womanhood and she enjoys engaging in the cute and the feminine. She is a waitress at the local dango shop and loves pink and sweet things and cute animals. She just wants to exist as something bright and positive and to make people smile. Hiretsuna is far more subtle in her femininity, but is feminine nonetheless. She works reception at the hospital and definitely engages in the local gossip and fantasizing about attractive men, even if it’s far more fairytale-esque and fluffy than sexual.  Sosei and Seiiku are middle-aged twins who work in the hospital and represent the significance of mental and physical/reproductive health for everyone but especially women. Sosei works in the mental health ward as a leader for group therapy and inpatient treatment, a role that she takes very seriously. She is passionate about mental health and the inherent sense of healing that comes from community and communication. Her sister, Seiiku, is the head of the maternity ward and is very passionate about reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth. She has a very holistic, female empowerment approach with an emphasis on expecting mothers taking charge of their own birthing experience. 

Seiiku’s star pupil is Tanjo, who had a really interesting struggle with accepting her womanhood. She was initially an enemy ninja sent to Konoha to gain intel but her mission was quickly sidetracked when she began experiencing severe abdominal pains and had to be rushed to the hospital where she discovered she was in labor and she didn’t even know she was pregnant.* This startling and life-changing incident at first left her reeling and with very little sense of direction but she decided to take charge of her own life after this and train to become a midwife herself as a way to regain control over a situation in which she had none. She is very much supportive but also a tough-love type of woman who went through a very traumatic experience but came out the other side better for it and having found a true passion in helping other women and empowering them the way that she wished she had felt when she gave birth.  *This whole chapter originally began as a gag based on the fact that Kakashi Hatake’s English voice actor, Dave Wittenberg, also narrated I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant. The characters and plot points from this chapter, however, expanded to something far more developed so now here we are.  I have more characters that I could speak on on this because about ninety percent of my OCs are women but this is already getting really long and I feel like there’s a pattern in the way I write female characters so many of them will probably sound the same in terms of the way they approach womanhood and the influence that being a woman has on them. I think this is a pretty well-rounded group to have answered this for, though. Thank you for asking! 

[ghosthunthq]

Anniversaries

This was written for Mai’s and GHHQ’s birthday. Happy birthday guys, it’s been a pleasure working with you during these two years! Also, a huge thanks to Snavej for beta-reading this, her helpful suggestions are what made this oneshot sound decent.

Rays of sunshine gently tickled her eyelids and woke Mai up from her slumber. She moaned and stretched lazily under her covers, eager to enjoy another minute of sleep. But her alarm clock decided otherwise and ringed loudly, depriving her from any additional moment of rest.

She got up with a sigh, dragging her tired limbs toward the bathroom. Her morning routine got her washed, dressed and ready to go to work. Before leaving she took a look at the calendar with drowsy eyes.

July, the third.

A day like any other.

She closed the door and left.

The pale sunlight filtering through the curtains told Mai it was finally morning. With all the energy of her young age she bolted up, eyes wide open in delight. She left her bed at the speed of light, rushing to get dressed. A few moments later she was in the kitchen, her uniform slightly askew and her hair vaguely arranged, grinning happily.

Today was the day, her day!

On the table breakfast was ready and Mai wasted no time to dig in. She ate alone, her mother having already left for work, but Mai didn’t dwell on her absence. In front of her were her favourite dishes, that had been prepared just for her, and in the evening they would get some time together. Her mother even promised her a present!

Mai sighed contentedly, her stomach full and the plates almost empty. She cleaned the table and before leaving took a look at the calendar.

July, the third.

Her favorite day.

She closed the door and left, a gleeful smile on her face.

Mai put the last video tape in the box, watching with satisfaction the stack of perfectly labelled evidence she had just compiled, all in chronological order. She got up from her desk to file it in the storage room and glanced at the clock.

Almost six.

A few more minutes and she would be able to go home.

She came back and began packing her things under the watchful stare of her coworker.

“Are you leaving Mai-chan?” Yasuhara asked, frowning at the clock on the wall. “It’s not even six!”

Mai laughed.

“Where does that come from? Are you Naru’s spy or something? Don’t worry, I won’t leave a second sooner than I’m allowed.”

Yasuhara squinted at her. “You’ve blown my cover. You know that means I can’t let you live now.”

Mai rolled her eyes at his poor impersonation of a mob boss, but couldn’t help a giggle.

“However I’m not insensitive to corruption,” he whispered in a conspiratory manner, “if you offer me more than Naru, I may work for you instead.”

“How much for your loyalty?”

“A really small price for the efficient agent that I am, really. Let’s say a cup of tea?”

“Isn’t that too good of a deal?” Mai mocked a frown. “It feels like I am being played.”

Yasuhara put a hand on his heart, the very image of innocence.“Not at all Mai-chan. I’m just in a generous mood.”

“Let’s call it a deal then. But you better earn it!”

Yasuhara offered a blinding, sly smile, in response. The gesture, which usually spoke of mischief, made Mai shoot him a wary look but, finding nothing dubious in his request, she got up to busy herself in the kitchen.

When she came back with the tea poured and ready to be delivered she found Yasuhara wasn’t alone at his desk anymore. Around him were standing all the SPR irregulars.

“Mai-chan!” Takigawa cried before she could even express her surprise to see everyone gathered at the same time. “Take your things and let’s go! We’re going out to eat, my treat!”

Mai blinked a few times. “Uh? But—” she started.

“Hurry up before he changes his mind,” Ayako advised, picking Mai’s tray while John and Masako politely greeted her.

“I’m treating Jou-chan, not you!”

“But, why—” Mai tried again, confused.

“Like we wouldn’t celebrate your birthday,” Takigawa laughed, putting an heavy arm on the girl’s shoulder.

“How do you even know it’s my birthday?” Mai asked with a frown, swatting his arm away. “I’m pretty sure I never told you!”

Yasuhara’s suspicious smile and his insistence she stayed a few more minutes suddenly made sense.

“Yasuhara! You didn’t!” she cried in betrayal.

“I plead guilty!” He grinned, not even trying to deny it.

“I have no idea why you’re so secretive about this, you’re too young to be bothered by your age increasing by a year,” the priestess grumbled, silencing Monk’s upcoming comment about her own waning youth with a menacing glare.

Mai shrugged. “It’s not that I mind you knowing, really. I just lost the habit to celebrate.”

Takigawa shot her an equally scandalized and pitying stare.

“That’s a shame! Good thing we came to remind you how to properly party!”

“And of course you had to do this here. May I remind you this is not your hangout?”

Mai almost jumped when she heard Naru’s stern voice, and hastily turned around to apologize on the others’ behalf for making a ruckus and disturbing his precious peace. But to her surprise he grabbed the cup on the tray and downed the tea in one gulp, before putting it back with a resounding thud.

“Now let’s go.”

Takigawa nugged Mai in the ribs.“You heard the boss!”

Mai stared at Naru with huge, bewildered eyes. Had he just said he was coming? To eat out with his noisy team? For her birthday?

“Naru, you… You agreed to this?”

“They would have done it without my consent anyway,” he answered stoically. “And I wanted to try this restaurant.”

“That’s the spirit!” Takigawa cheered while Mai just stood there gawking.

The team headed out as loudly as it came, dragging a dazed Mai in its wake.

They were all so annoying and noisy, she thought.

But she couldn’t help a smile.

Mai waited. And waited, eyes glued to the clock. The minutes were ticking by but the door stayed resolutely shut.

It wasn’t an odd occurrence to find herself alone at this hour, her mother often had to work long shifts, but on this special day Mai had hoped they could spend the evening together. It was almost midnight now, and Mai knew she would probably fall asleep soon. She rarely managed to resist sleep.

She sighed forlornly, ready to leave the living room and go to bed when the unmistakable sound of the key in the lock stopped her.

The next second her mother appeared in the doorframe, looking apologetic and short of breath, probably from running.

“I’m home,” she managed between heavy breaths.

Mai’s annoyance was immediately forgotten. “Mum, welcome home!”

Her mother got rid of her shoes tiredly and came to join her daughter. “You’re still awake, what a relief! I am really sorry, my boss gave me an extra load of work and I couldn’t leave until it was finished.”

The girl nodded in understanding. This happened too often for her to be surprised.

“However,” her mother added, “I did not forget my promise. I do have something for you.”

A pretty white box with pink polka dots appeared in front of Mai, who took it hesitantly.

“Open it,” her mother prompted. “My colleague assured me this is the best you can find in Tokyo.”

Mai opened the box with careful movements to reveal the most fancy, delicious-looking strawberry cake she had ever seen.

Her eyes widen in delight. It was her favorite delicacy, and something they couldn’t generally afford due to their tight budget.

“Happy birthday Mai,” her mother whispered. “And—” she teared up a little, “— I hope you’ll forgive me for offering it to you so late.”

The young girl shook her head, a sincere smile on her lips.

“It’s okay. It’s like having two birthdays!”

When her mother hugged her tightly Mai knew she had given the right answer.

It didn’t matter when she celebrated, or what she got. What was important was with who she was. And she couldn’t wish better company than her beloved mother.

“Aaaah I’m full, that was delicious,” Takigawa sighed contentedly, patting his belly as they exited the restaurant.

“It really was,” Masako approved. “I am surprised you knew of such a nice place.”

“And what *exactly* does that mean, young lady?”

“Just that you’re the type to dine in run-down, shady places,” Ayako deadpanned. “Shall I remind you about the one and only time I agreed to drink with you and your band?”

Takigawa’s pout had Masako, Yasuhara and Mai laughing out loud.

“You wound me, especially you, Jou-chan!” he sulked.

“Don’t you worry, you still have my love,” Yasuhara cried, launching himself at the monk and earning a few curious stares from the passersby of animated streets of Shibuya.

Takigawa just ducked his head and started walking faster, making the trio laugh even more.

The dinner had been surprisingly pleasant. The food had been excellent, and her friends had insisted she tried the most expensive dishes on the menu. Which Mai did, touched by their insistence she had a good time. Ayako and Takigawa behaved and limited their bickering to good-humoured teasing, Naru and Lin had made an effort to join in the conversation instead of keeping to themselves, and even the shy John had shared some personal anecdotes about his childhood. Yasuhara and Masako had mostly stayed in their corner speaking animatedly about who knew what, the young medium blushing occasionally.

Mai grinned at the memory. She was so going to tease her for this later!

The SPR building finally came into view. It was time for goodbyes.

“Ah Mai, let me drive you home,” the monk proposed, pointing to his car on the parking lot. “You won’t be able to take the subway, it’s past midnight already.”

Mai opened her mouth to accept his offer but Naru interrupted before she could even utter a word.

“No.”

Everyone except for Lin gaped at Naru, then at Mai, surprised by the outburst. Her cheeks turned a rosy hue under their stares. That didn’t mean he wanted to escort her home *himself*, did it?

“Uh?” was all the monk could ask while a sly grin crept on Yasuhara’s face.

“Oh my, that is incredibly forward of you boss.”

Naru glared cooly in response. “Takigawa has drunk too much. I won’t risk the safety of my underage employee.”

Mai visibly deflated while a collective, disappointed ‘oh’ followed the statement.

“It’s true I drank a lot,” the monk admitted. “John?”

The priest scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I am afraid the same goes for me.”

Mai shook her head at John’s embarrassment. Takigawa and Ayako had kept filling his glass, and the poor man had been too polite to dare refuse.

Lin’s baritone voice settled the matter. “I will drive Taniyama-san and Yasuhara-san home. I am perfectly sober.”

“At least someone here is thinking of me!” Yasuhara cried in mock offense. “Lin-san you are my knight in shining armor, thank you. Boss totally forgot about me.”

“We’ll share a taxi,” Ayako decided, taking Takigawa by the arm and leaving him no chance to disagree. “John? Do you want to come with us?”

“Yes that would be helpful, thank you,” the young priest smiled.

Masako bowed.

“My chauffeur will arrive soon. I bid you all a good night. Mai, it was a pleasure celebrating your birthday.”

Mai bowed deeply to thank her coworkers for spending the evening with her and treating her to dinner. After several hugs and reassurance that it was their pleasure they were gone.

There were only three people left bar herself, and to her astonishment Mai felt the sudden silence suffocating.

She missed the noise and ruckus her coworkers usually made. She missed their presence.

That reminded her of why she didn’t celebrate her birthday anymore. The feeling of loneliness that came the day after was a little too much to bear.

“Lin,” Naru said when he was certain the rest of the crew was gone, “you drive Yasuhara first. Mai, follow me inside.”

Yasuhara’s mouth broke into an impish grin, but Naru didn’t stay to hear his comment. The teenager headed straight toward the office door, not even looking back to see if his orders were properly followed.

Mai hastily bowed to her two remaining coworkers, muttered a good night and run to catch up with her boss.

“Naru, wait!” she protested, rushing in the office. “I’m sure whatever you need me for could—”

She stopped dead in her tracks.

A pretty white cardboard box with pink polka dots was waiting on her desk.

Her vision blurred. The ticking of the clock, the particular color of their house door, her mother smiling giving her a similar box, she could recall them vividly. A strawberry cake, and promises of better days.

It had been the last birthday spent with her mother. The last she had looked forward to.

“How—” she tried, but found out she had lost her ability to speak.

Naru stood next to her desk, watching her reaction closely. She turned to him, trying to smile, but the gesture got lost in her state of shock.

Naru’s aloof expression faltered.

“The idea actually comes from Madoka,” he explained, on the defensive. “She said this would make an acceptable gift.”

Madoka. Yes, that was her style. Mai wanted to laugh but a whimper came out instead.

“Is this,” she rasped, “is this by chance a strawberry cake?”

“I know for a fact you like those,” Naru said, sounding like he was daring her to deny the fact.

“I do,” she whispered, “they are my favorites.”

“Will you not open it? It doesn’t bite.”

“I will.”

Mai opened the box with shaky hands, her heart beating fast.

A fancy, beautifully decorated cake appeared before her eyes. She sighed, torn between conflicting emotions.

It wasn’t the one from her memory.

She laughed at her foolishness. Of course, after ten years it couldn’t be the same cake, what else had she expected? It wasn’t even a present from her mother this time!

No, it was a present from Naru.

And it made it all the more precious.

Realization dawned upon her that all these years she had wasted time yearning for what was lost, instead of what was to come. The cake could never be the same. Her mother wouldn’t miraculously come back. Things would forever be different. But different didn’t mean they couldn’t be good.

“Thank you Naru,” she smiled as brightly as she could this time. “It looks really delicious.”

The rare uncertainty that had been clouding his gaze disappeared, replaced by something akin to relief.

“The shop is supposed to be Tokyo’s best,” he muttered.

Had he been worried she wouldn’t like his present? The very idea made Mai’s heart swell.

“Let’s share,” she proposed, fetching two forks in their kitchen.“You wouldn’t let me eat alone for my birthday, would you?” she insisted before Naru’s reluctance.

He took the fork and they ate in companionable silence for a while.

“It was really delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Naru glanced at the clock. “And although it’s a bit late, happy birthday Mai,” he added softly.

“Thank you Naru.”

“You know,” she smiled, “I used to do this with my mother, eating my cake after midnight. It felt like having two birthdays. Maybe I should make this a tradition!”

Naru’s lips made a timid upturn at her joke, and Mai felt content.

From now on she would to look forward to her anniversary.